Working with our ESL students can be confusing at times, but mostly it's a lot of work. A lot of paperwork, often. Each of the ESL newsletters will be posted on this page along with important forms and information for working with Berry's awesome ESL students.
Feel free to ask any questions or share ideas on the ESL page's discussion board.
TELPAS / LAT Timeline
Refresher Training (ESL delegates): January 27
TELPAS Writing Sample Collection: February
TELPAS Reading (all grades): March 23-26
LAT Math 6th & 7th: April 26
LAT Reading 6th & 7th: April 27
LAT Science 8th: April 30
LAT Math 8th: May 17th
LAT Reading 8th: May 18th
Q: Can a student be served by both ESL and Special Education services?
A: Yes. Students who have modifications in Special Ed are served in my classroom just as they are in any other. They may not leave my classroom to go to the content mastery center because I am able to make modifications in class due to the class sizes, but that is the only real difference between Special Ed in ESL and Special Ed in general classes.
Q: If students take the TELPAS, do they also have to take TAKS? A: Yes. Unless a student is exempt and takes the LAT exam, they also have to take TAKS. Some of the special education students will take the TAKS that is dictated by their annual ARD.
Q: What needs to happen for a student to be exited from ESL? A: To guarantee a release, the student needs to a) pass all their TAKS tests, b) score Advanced High on all TELPAS areas, and c) pass all of their classes for the year. If one of these areas does not meet the requirements, they will more than likely be retained in either English or Reading ESL while being sent to a general education classroom for the other one. If there is an issue in two or all areas, the student will more than likely be retained in both English and Reading ESL courses.
Q: Who decides whether or not the students get to exit and when does that happen? A: The LPAC committee (an admin, a teacher, and a parent) decides after all TAKS and TELPAS testing near the end of the school year whether or not a student should be exited. This is based on all three of the aforementioned criteria. Test scores, grades, and teacher comments are reviewed at this meeting.
Q: I have a student who has passed all the tests and they are still in ESL. Why? A: Students can be retained despite test scores if they have proven that they cannot be successful in a general education classroom (they failed classes after they were exited) or if the student has recently exited the bilingual program and the parent requests a slower transition. Also, be sure to check and make sure that the test they passed was not the Spanish version of the test. It is not uncommon for students to make a Commended score on the Spanish version in Bilingual and still need some adjustment time to pass the English exam the next year.
Q: I have an LEP student that you don't have in ESL. Why don't you have them? A: Students are still classified in some databases as LEP if they are monitored, which means they have been exited from ESL classes, but we are still making sure that their grades and progress is appropriate. In Eduphoria, these students should be coded as "First" or "Second" year students. Otherwise, go ahead and bring the student to my attention. More than likely their parents have denied services and placed their student in general education classes. However, there is always the chance that they were missed during scheduling, and we want to catch those students ASAP.
Table of Contents
ESL Page
Working with our ESL students can be confusing at times, but mostly it's a lot of work. A lot of paperwork, often. Each of the ESL newsletters will be posted on this page along with important forms and information for working with Berry's awesome ESL students.
Feel free to ask any questions or share ideas on the ESL page's discussion board.
TELPAS / LAT Timeline
Refresher Training (ESL delegates): January 27TELPAS Writing Sample Collection: February
TELPAS Reading (all grades): March 23-26
LAT Math 6th & 7th: April 26
LAT Reading 6th & 7th: April 27
LAT Science 8th: April 30
LAT Math 8th: May 17th
LAT Reading 8th: May 18th
ESL Forms and Documents
Newsletter Archive
Noticias del Oso1.pdfNoticias del Oso 2.pdf
Noticias del Oso3.pdf
Noticias del Oso4.pdf
Noticias del Oso 5.pdf
Noticias del Oso6.pdf
Noticias del Oso 7.pdf
Noticias del Oso 8.pdf
Noticias del Oso 9.pdf
Noticias del Oso 10.pdf
Noticias del Oso 11.pdf
Noticias del Oso 12.pdf
Noticias del Oso 13.pdf
Noticias del Oso 14.pdfNoticias del Oso 16.pdf
Links
Mesquite ISD blog I SpeakFAQ
Q: Can a student be served by both ESL and Special Education services?
A: Yes. Students who have modifications in Special Ed are served in my classroom just as they are in any other. They may not leave my classroom to go to the content mastery center because I am able to make modifications in class due to the class sizes, but that is the only real difference between Special Ed in ESL and Special Ed in general classes.
Q: If students take the TELPAS, do they also have to take TAKS?
A: Yes. Unless a student is exempt and takes the LAT exam, they also have to take TAKS. Some of the special education students will take the TAKS that is dictated by their annual ARD.
Q: What needs to happen for a student to be exited from ESL?
A: To guarantee a release, the student needs to a) pass all their TAKS tests, b) score Advanced High on all TELPAS areas, and c) pass all of their classes for the year. If one of these areas does not meet the requirements, they will more than likely be retained in either English or Reading ESL while being sent to a general education classroom for the other one. If there is an issue in two or all areas, the student will more than likely be retained in both English and Reading ESL courses.
Q: Who decides whether or not the students get to exit and when does that happen?
A: The LPAC committee (an admin, a teacher, and a parent) decides after all TAKS and TELPAS testing near the end of the school year whether or not a student should be exited. This is based on all three of the aforementioned criteria. Test scores, grades, and teacher comments are reviewed at this meeting.
Q: I have a student who has passed all the tests and they are still in ESL. Why?
A: Students can be retained despite test scores if they have proven that they cannot be successful in a general education classroom (they failed classes after they were exited) or if the student has recently exited the bilingual program and the parent requests a slower transition. Also, be sure to check and make sure that the test they passed was not the Spanish version of the test. It is not uncommon for students to make a Commended score on the Spanish version in Bilingual and still need some adjustment time to pass the English exam the next year.
Q: I have an LEP student that you don't have in ESL. Why don't you have them?
A: Students are still classified in some databases as LEP if they are monitored, which means they have been exited from ESL classes, but we are still making sure that their grades and progress is appropriate. In Eduphoria, these students should be coded as "First" or "Second" year students. Otherwise, go ahead and bring the student to my attention. More than likely their parents have denied services and placed their student in general education classes. However, there is always the chance that they were missed during scheduling, and we want to catch those students ASAP.